Why a Social Media Check Is Essential for Your Hiring Process
In today’s digital age, a social media check has become an indispensable tool for organisations looking to safeguard their reputation and make informed hiring decisions. As the demand for these checks surges, it’s crucial for senior management, HR, and talent acquisition professionals to understand their importance and implement them effectively.
In this blog, we’re going to layout:
- Why social media checks are crucial in the hiring process.
- How social media screening help identify potential risks and red flags.
- The role of social media checks in making safer, more informed hiring decisions.
What are Social Media Background Checks?
Social media background checks are vital tools in modern background screening, helping employers and organisations make more informed and safer hiring decisions.
By reviewing a candidate’s online activity and behaviour, social media checks help identify potential risks and ensure that the individual aligns with the company’s values and standards.
While the quality of these checks can vary between providers, the most effective social media checks scan a candidate’s online presence across all major platforms, offering insights into their character, behaviour, and possible red flags.
Employers use this check to gain a clearer understanding of candidates and uncover any issues that may affect the workplace. Social media checks are increasingly mandated or recommended by industry regulators and help identify negative posts or comments that may indicate concerns.
EBC Global’s social media checks cover major platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and more, ensuring thorough analysis of a candidate’s online footprint.
The Surge in Demand for Social Media Screening
The rise of social media has transformed the landscape of background checks. Employers are increasingly incorporating social media screening into their comprehensive background screening policies. These checks are highly effective in identifying potential risks that traditional methods might miss, making them a vital component of any robust hiring strategy.
The Necessity of Regular Checks
People’s mental states and personal circumstances can change over time, making regular social media vetting essential. What someone posted years ago might not reflect their current situation, but it can still pose a risk to your organisation. Regular checks help ensure that you have the most up-to-date information about your employees and candidates.
Real-World Examples of Social Media Missteps
There are numerous instances where employees have caused major embarrassment to their employers due to past social media posts. Here are some compelling examples:
- Danny Baker, a BBC Radio 5 Live host, was fired for a racist tweet about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s baby.
- Jack Maynard, a YouTube star, was removed from “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!” after old racist and homophobic tweets resurfaced.
- Ollie Robinson, an England cricketer, was suspended after historic racist and sexist tweets were discovered.
- Rhoda Tagle, a nurse at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, was struck off after posting “grossly offensive” racist comments on her social media account.
- Wayne Couzens, a Metropolitan Police officer, was sentenced to life in prison for the kidnap, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard. His behaviour, including exposing himself to women, had raised concerns long before the murder.
- Metropolitan Police Officers, six former officers were sentenced for sending racist, sexist, and homophobic messages on WhatsApp, which severely damaged public confidence in the police.
These examples highlight that no matter how long ago a post was made, it can still have significant repercussions.
The Case for Professional Outsourced Social Media Checks
Attempting to conduct social media vetting internally can be fraught with risks and pitfalls. While it may be tempting to take perceived short cuts with checking publicly available online content, it is impossible (without the necessary software tools) for employers to:
- Find linked social media accounts that don’t use the candidate’s real name.
- Identify the correct candidate among multiple accounts with the same name.
- Interpret social media posts, images and video in over 200 languages.
- Process and analyse large volumes of social media activity, such as 3,000 Tweets per second.
Professional background screening tools for social media checks can overcome these challenges. Outsourcing social media checks ensures thorough, unbiased, and legally compliant screening.
Cost-Effectiveness of Social Media Checks
Social media vetting is not only effective but also cost-efficient. Typically costing less than a criminal record check the reports provide invaluable insights into potential risks. Investing in social media checks can prevent costly PR disasters and ensure that your organisation doesn’t make headlines for the wrong reasons.
Social Media Checks: Enlightening, Not Punitive
It’s important to understand that social media checks aim to be informative rather than punitive. In most cases, HR can resolve issues identified by discussing them with the individual and adjusting their social media settings. However, only in the most severe cases will an employee lose their job or a candidate face rejection solely due to social media check results.
Industry Sectors Utilising Social Media Checks
Social media vetting is already widespread or mandated in several sectors in the UK, including:
- Law firms
- Education (KCSIE -Keeping Children Safe in Education requirements)
- Professional security firms
- Health and social care
- Financial services*
These sectors recognise the value of social media checks in maintaining compliance and safeguarding their reputation.
*The FCA Good Practice Guide even goes as far as recommending annual checks on all staff.
The Importance of Clear Policies
Employers must have clear background check and social media policies in place. These policies should outline acceptable social media usage and the consequences of breaches. Additionally, clear policies ensure consistency and help avoid discrimination, protecting both the organisation and its employees.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
A company must conduct a social media check ethically and legally. It’s crucial to avoid making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics such as race, sexuality, or political stance. By adhering to these principles, companies ensure fair and unbiased hiring practices. Furthermore, outsourcing the checks to professionals is undoubtedly the most reliable way to comply and obtain actionable results.
Conclusion
Social media screening is a powerful tool for modern recruitment and employee management. By incorporating these checks into your hiring process, you can protect your organisation from potential risks and ensure a safe and compliant workforce.
We designed a comprehensive guide to answer common questions about social media checks from EBC Global, providing a deeper understanding of their purpose, application process, and significance.
Staying Compliant With EBC Global
At EBC Global, our solutions seamlessly safeguard organisations, providing you with peace of mind every step of the way. Our tools can simplify your hiring process, enhance compliance with the Employment Rights Bill, and ensure your workforce remains secure.
Stay ahead in the hiring game by integrating social media checks into your background screening policy. Chat with our team to learn more.
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